Interlinked osteoporosis treatment “The orthosis is a very effective aid”

Dr. med. Henning Kunter is the Chief Physician for Trauma Surgery, Orthopedics and Geriatric Traumatology at the Protestant Hospital in Cologne-Kalk – the hub for inpatient treatment of the Kölner Netzwerk Osteoporose (KNO; Osteoporosis Network Cologne).

You started to focus on osteoporosis early on in your career. Why?

Dr. Kunter: Because a lot of people are suffering from the condition. We are currently experiencing an enormous demographic shift. As a young surgeon at Cologne University Hospital , I expected that I would be performing surgery on 25-year-old volleyball players. But that was not the case. Fortunately, it is not young people or motorcyclists that are the big issue, but old people suffering fractures. This is what we need to get a grip on.

The methods exist.

Dr. Kunter: Yes, we know all about screws and pins. Everything was great. Until we realized that patients tended to be back after five or six months. That can be a good thing. But not if they are back because they have another vertebral fracture. This is when you should question the treatment method, at the very latest. For me this was the starting point for getting involved in establishing Cologne’s first university-based geriatric and trauma center. When I came to Cologne-Kalk, it was the goal of Dr. Kelter, myself and other colleagues to set up a local osteoporosis network that would also cover treatment for patients beyond the hospital.

How can the industry assist you in your endeavor?

Dr. Kunter: We are glad that we are supported by partners such as Bauerfeind. This is especially the case because requests for promoting our network addressed at other potential partners such as health insurance companies or associations, tend to involve very slow processes. If you consider that the likelihood of a 50-year-old woman suffering one or multiple osteoporotic fractures over the remaining course of her life is between 40 and 50 percent , one should expect that everybody would be interested in a cooperation – just like the industry with its orthoses. The Spinova Osteo for example is a very effective aid for the non-surgical , multi-modal treatment of vertebral fractures. We also use them for acute treatment.

“As a guideline-compliant aid used in multi-modal treatment ,
the Spinova Osteo is an ideal match for the work performed by our network.”Dr. med. Henning Kunter

What do you like about the Spinova Osteo?

Dr. Kunter: I’m not a football fan myself, but I like the idea of a “controlled offensive” approach. The straightening design of the orthosis provides patients with more security. Pain is reduced, and they feel more confident. The Spinova Osteo is light-weight yet firm. It is also compatible with a particular property of the spine: the fact that it is a sensory organ. If the spine receives proprioceptive impulses from the orthosis, it is able to stabilize itself via the muscles. As a guideline-compliant aid used in multi-modal treatment , the Spinova Osteo is an ideal match for the work performed by our network. You can either complain about the flaws of osteoporosis treatment , or use all means available to improve the situation.